By Cliff Rold
Can it continue for another week?
ESPN2’s hot streak of quality main events in 2010 could be put to the test this weekend. That’s not an indication of something wrong. It’s an indication of the quality of the talent assumed as the favorite. Last week’s thriller between Ji-Hoon Kim and Tyrone Harris kept the fires burning for now.
Hot as well was the first half of Top Rank’s pay-per-view and the Fernando Montiel knockout win was at least a hell of a shot. The bonus for the week ahead is that nothing more than cable fees is necessary.
That includes the sole major title fight.
These are the picks of the week.
Pick It: #1 Giovanni Segura vs. Walter Tello (Saturday, Fox Sports, 10 PM EST/PST)
Originally slated for the rubber match between Segura (22-1-1, 18 KO) and Cesar Canchila, the leading contender to World Jr. Flyweight king Ivan Calderon defends the WBA belt at 108 lbs. against Tello (14-3, 6 KO). Maybe it will be a good fight. Maybe not. However, it has one major thing going for it: the fists of Segura. When he suffered his lone defeat to Canchila in 2008, Segura showed off his vulnerabilities. He was soundly outboxed. In the rematch, he went through Canchila in four, dropping him in the first to set the tone. Sure, the hook might have been a little fast, but the turnaround was still evident and the dynamite he carries was the reason. Canchila II kicked off three straight knockout wins, the last a one round flaming of the usually durable Sonny Boy Jaro. Can Tello stay off the floor? It’s worth a look to find out.
Pick Deuce: Shawn Porter-Russell Jordan (Friday, ESPN2, 9 PM EST/6 PM PST)
Avid fight followers are aware of a nice wave of young talent at Jr. Middleweight and Middleweight right now. The 22-year old Porter (12-0, 10 KO) is a big part of the excitement. His match this Friday is also reason to be really wary about the main event for the first time this year on Friday Night Fights. Jordan (15-6, 10 KO) has enough stops to indicate he might have a lightning bolt to make matters nervous. However, with five stoppage defeats and losses in three of his last six, one has to wonder if Jordan is really there to be anything other than the 13 in 13-0.
Pick Espanol: William Gonzalez-Jesus Vasquez (Friday, Telemundo, 11:35 AM EST/PST)
Finally, for those who are up late on Friday and need their fix of violent leather (no, not that kind), this bantamweight tilt should be fun while it lasts. Gonzalez (23-3, 20 KO) has won two straight since the last time most fans probably saw him, losing a narrow majority decision to then-WBA titlist Joseph Agbeko on the undercard of Tomasz Adamek-Steve Cunningham in December 2008. His opponent, Vasquez (19-3-1, 17 KO), has never had a title shot. He’s been stopped twice by sub-.500 fighters. He ought to make a nice splat at some point of Friday but there’s worse ways to start the weekend then that.
Back in seven.
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Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
